SINGAPORE, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The El Nino weather pattern
that can trigger drought in some parts of the world while
causing flooding in others is increasingly likely to return this
year, hitting production of key foods such as rice, wheat and
sugar.

El Nino - the Spanish word for boy - is a warming of
sea-surface temperatures in the Pacific that occurs every four
to 12 years. The worst on record in the late 1990s killed more
than 2,000 people and caused billions of dollars in damage.

A strong El Nino can wither crops in Australia, Southeast
Asia, India and Africa when other parts of the globe such as the
U.S. Midwest and Brazil are drenched in rains.

While scientists are still debating the intensity of a
potential El Nino, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology and the
U.S. Climate Prediction Center have warned of increased chances
one will strike this year.

Last month, the United Nations' World Meteorological
Organization said there was an "enhanced possibility" of a weak
El Nino by the middle of 2014.
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